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Lauren Denitzio is a maven at writing pop-punk anthems. Playing music for over a decade —beginning with the New Brunswick punk band The Measure [sa]—we had yet to see what Denitzio could accomplish as a sole songwriter until recently. Worriers, the Brooklyn-based band fronted by Denitzio and joined by friends, has released the 7” “Past Lives” on No Idea Records in 2011, the 12” EP “Cruel Optimist” on Don Giovanni Records in 2013, as well as the 7” “Sinead O’Rebellion” on Yo-Yo Records in 2013. This summer, Worriers brings us their finest work to date, with Laura Jane Grace of Against Me! as producer, on their first full-length release Imaginary Life.

Being released by Don Giovanni Records, Imaginary Life is Denitzio’s first time single-handedly generating an entire record’s worth of material. Accompanied by Rachel Rubino (Each Other’s Mothers, Troubled Sleep) and John McLean (Dead Dog, Todd Killingz) on lead guitars, Audrey Zee Whitesides (Mal Blum, Little Waist) on bass, Mike Yannich (The Ergs) on drums, and Lou Hanman (Caves) on backing vocals, Denitzio also asked Laura Jane Grace to produce the record. Working with a woman producer, and someone who came from a DIY background, was crucial to Denitzio. Grace enthusiastically agreed and brought on Marc Hudson, Against Me!’s front-of-house sound person and tour manager, to engineer the record at his studio in Fenton, MI. Grace also took Worriers on a nine-day tour with Against Me! in February to become better acquainted with their sound. In the studio, the group worked meticulously on the tracks—even creating multiple versions of certain songs using Casio beats—to give them time to develop into exactly what they were looking to create.

“I was writing songs that had to do with moments in my life that only happened very briefly, or things that could have happened had things gone a little differently, both in positive and negative ways,” says Denitzio. “I don’t mean regrets, but how life could be entirely different if you make a couple of different choices.”

While Imaginary Life doesn’t stray too far from past Worriers’ releases, it resonates stronger than ever in both sound and message. It flows fittingly backwards, opening with “Jinx,” a softer song that barely hits the one-minute-mark. We are presented with what seems to be a reflection of the current state of life and a fear of change, how goods things have been and wanting to hold onto that. From here, the album cracks wide open into all that ever came before. “Glutton for Distance,” with it’s mathy guitar leads and overflowing lyrics, depicts the desire to sustain a long-distance relationship. In “Chasing,” there is a bit of a departure from what we’ve come to know of Worriers; it’s pop beat is reminiscence of something we’d hear on the radio rather than at a punk show. It’s unexpected but natural, juxtaposed to dark lyrics about giving into unrequited love and carried along by Denitzio’s polished vocals. In the resolute political ballad ”They / Them / Theirs” we are questioned regarding notions of the gender binary and the frustrations that come with it. “Plans” and “Most Space,” two of the catchiest songs on Imaginary Life, are reminders of what tripped us up over Denitzio’s songwriting in the first place—fast and infectious guitars, anthemic lyrics, and unyielding vocals that Worriers never fails to provide.

The follow up to Cayetana’s debut LP Nervous Like Me, New Kind of Normal, retains the pop sensibility and candid songwriting of its predecessor yet exhibits a clear growth in sonic diversity; to be released May 5th, 2017. The Philadelphia indie rock three-piece - comprised of Augusta Koch, Allegra Anka and Kelly Olsen - has been exploring the delicate interplay of mental illness and wellness, since they began releasing music in 2014, but never so gracefully and poignantly as on New Kind of Normal. “The record is about mental health…struggling with that and settling into a new kind of normal where you can finally recognize your own your destructive behaviors and accept love into your life.”

Proving themselves masters of self-actualization, Cayetana has formed their own record label – Plum Records – to release their second LP. “We want to empower people and show them that they don’t have to wait for something to happen. They can do it themselves;” Cayetana refused to compromise and hope to help other artists to do the same in the future. The recording collaboration of Koch's barnyard studio in the Poconos and Matt Schimelfenig at Philly's Miner Street Studios resulted in a diverse output of expertly crafted, hooky pop songs like “Mesa” coupled with sparse, dark, and deeply emotional synth-laden tracks like “World.” Musically, the record captures the quiet moments of crushing vulnerability and the hardened highs of personal strength as expertly as Koch’s lyrical craft.

From the group’s inception Cayetana has exemplified the beauty and spirit of perseverance and DIY. They prove on New Kind of Normal that growth takes self-responsibility, accepting the help of others, and resilience proving that the risk is worth the writhing. Evidently, there is a new kind of normal not only in the mind but also in music and Cayetana is determined to help us find it.